Melanie Blatt defends fellow X Factor judge following tirade - Entertainment - NZ Herald News Russell Blackstock is a senior reporter at the Weekend Herald and Herald on Sunday. Melanie Blatt defends fellow X Factor judge following tirade 1:09 PM Sunday Dec 7, 2014 SHARE: Television Willy Moon and Natalia Kills. Photo / Getty Melanie Blatt has defended fellow X Factor judge Natalia Kills after she yelled and swore at shocked young audience members. Kills turned the air blue with a foul-mouthed rant at filmed auditions in Auckland on Tuesday night. Some, including children, walked out of the SkyCity auditorium when the English pop star "lost it" following a performance by X Factor NZ hopeful Hamiora Tuari. Some later took to Twitter to vent their disgust at the "f-bomb" rant. Kills - also known as "Verbalicious" - is a newcomer to the judging panel, as is her Kiwi chart-topping husband Willy Moon. Blatt, who found fame with girl group All Saints, said she understood how Kills could lose the plot after a long day in front of the cameras. "It can be hard.

The auditions are such a weird world to step into," Blatt told the Herald on Sunday. "It takes some time to get used to that environment and headaches can start from early in the morning." TV3 representatives and Kills later apologised for the incident, which disgusted several parents who had taken their kids along. Blatt insisted despite the gaffe, the addition of Kills and Moon as judges would prove positive for the popular reality series. "They are great for the show and have a new perspective on things," she said. "I am really enjoying getting to know them and the different experience it has been since they have joined the panel." Blatt said she hoped her second stint as a judge on the show would not be her last. She has fallen for New Zealand and plans to split her time between here and Ibiza, Spain, where she shares a home with her teenage daughter Lilyella. "I love it in New Zealand and I was so exited to come back.

I do love my house in Ibiza, so I would be pretty happy to do half the year in both." The Melanie Blatt Picture Pages Never Ever Background: Melanie Blatt is famous as the founding member of the award-winning British all-female vocal group All Saints, which also comprises Shaznay Lewis and the Appleton sisters Nicole and Natalie. Formed in 1996, the group rose to worldwide prominence thanks to the double-platinum hit single “Never Ever,” which was taken from their highly successful debut album, All Saints” (1997), and won them two BRIT Awards. The group continued to have No. 1 hit singles with “Under the Bridge / Lady Marmalade” (1998), “Bootie Call” (1998), “Pure Shores” (2000) and “Black Coffee” (2000) and the Top 10 hits “War Of Nerves” (1998) and ”All Hooked Up” (2001).

After the second album '“Saints & Sinners” (2000), All Saints broke up and did not reunite until 2006's “Studio 1,” which went gold. During the break, Blatt pursued a solo career. She released three singles, most notably “Twenty Four Seven” (2001), a duet sung with Artful Dodger which peaked at No. 6 in the UK charts. She has acted in the films “Honest” (2000), opposite Nicole and Natalie, and “Dog Eat Dog” (2001). Scoliosis Childhood and Family: Named after Melanie Safka, Melanie Ruth Blatt was born on March 25, 1975,in London, England, to a French Jewish mother and a Jewish father whose roots were from Russia and Poland. Along with younger sister Jasmine Blatt, she spent her early years in both England and France. She attended Sylvia Young Theatre School in London, whose schoolmates included future bandmates the Appleton sisters Nicole and Natalie. She was diagnosed with scoliosis when she was a teenager, and to overcome the problem, three metal rods were placed onto her spine.

This led her to depart metal detectors in various airports around the globe. Melanie is the mother of Lilyella, a daughter resulted from her relationship with former Jamiroquai bassist Stuart Zender. She was born on November 20, 1998 and named after the flowers given to her by her (past) boyfriend and Ella Fitzgerald. Twenty Four Seven Career: 11 year-old Melanie Blatt was sent to a theatre school in London after the suggestion of her head teacher who noticed her musical gift. Shortly thereafter, she landed the role of young Eponine in “Les Misérables” and understudied Cosette with schoolmate Denise van Outen. The two would rejoin several years later when they both served as background vocalist for Dreadzone. Blatt's singing career got start in 1993 with the group Drive, along with Julienne Davis. They recorded “Curfew” and performed the song on the TV programme “Access All Areas.” It was not until she met Shaznay Lewis that Blatt founded a girl-group, through which she achieved success. They both sang backing vocals at Sarm West Studios, the ZTT recording studios near All Saints Road, London.

All Saints, previously All Saints 1.9.7.5, was established in 1996. In addition to Blatt and Lewis, it consist of Nicole and Natalie Appleton, who joined the group after the departure of the third original member Simone Rainford. The self-titled debut was released on November 24, 1997. It went on to become a Top 2 hit in UK and receive 5x platinum for sales of more than 1.5 million pieces. The lead single “I Know Where It's At” reached No. 4 on the UK Single Charts, but it was their next single, “Never Ever,” that brought Blatt and her bandmates worldwide fame. It reached No. 1 in both UK and Australia, where it stayed on the charts for 2 and 7 consecutive weeks, respectively, and won the group two BRIT in the categories of Best Single and Best Video. The foursome scored two more No. 1 UK hits with the third single “Under the Bridge / Lady Marmalade” and the forth “Bootie Call” as well as a Top 10 hit with the fifth and final “War Of Nerves” (#7).

Blatt and her group resurfaced in October 2000 with their much-anticipated second album, “Saints & Sinners,” which debuted at No. 1 on the UK Album Charts. It was notable for producing the chart-toppers “Pure Shores,” a collaboration with William Orbit which also emerged as the second best-selling single of the year, and “Black Coffee,” and the No. 7 single ”All Hooked Up.” “Saints & Sinners” finally earned double platinum in England. Also in 2000, Blatt made her feature film acting debut in “Honest,” a black comedy helmed by David A. Stewart. She starred along side Nicole and Natalie as three street wise sisters. Because of an growing competition between band members, All Saints disbanded in early 2001. Blatt went on to appear as a solo act and in September later that same year, she released a single with Artful Dodger named “Twenty Four Seven,” making her the first All Saints member to kick off solo career. It reached No.6 in UK and was included in the greatest hits album “All Hits” (released in November 2001).

Still in that same year, Blatt also made her second film outing with the comedy “Dog Eat Dog” (2001), where she had small but notable role as as ex-girlfriend. Blatt recorded “I'm Leavin'” with Outsidaz & Rah Digga in 2002 for the UK release of the track. The single reached No. 42. She followed it up by releasing “Do Me Wrong” in 2003 via London Records. The single only peaked at No. 18 and the singer was subsequently dropped by the label due to the miserable chart performance. In April 2005, Blatt resumed her music career by launching the single “See Me.” Released through Swollen Ankle Ltd., the song was added to the “Robots” film soundtrack and reached No. 78 in UK. She was going to release a solo album, but it had to meet with postponement when All Saints rejoined in early 2006. The third studio album “Studio 1” went gold and spawned the singles “Rock Steady” (#3 UK).

Awards: BRIT Awards: Best Single and Best Video, “Never Ever,” 1998 MTV Music (Europe): Breakthrough Artist, 1998 FanPal.com | Contact Melanie Blatt | Write to Any Star 1993-2001: Career with All Saints Main article: All Saints (group) In 1993, Blatt sang under the name Melanie Guillaume in the band Drive with Julienne Davis. They released one single, "Curfew", together. She also did backing vocals for Dreadzone with Denise van Outen. Later that year, Blatt met Shaznay Lewis at the Metamorphosis recording studio in All Saints Road, London. Together, with Simone Rainford, they formed the group All Saints 1.9.7.5 which was later renamed to All Saints when Rainford left and Nicole and Natalie Appleton joined Blatt and Lewis. In 1997 All Saints released their debut single "I Know Where It's At", and peaked at number 4 in the UK.

The same year the group released a second single "Never Ever, which introduced the group to international success after topping the charts in the UK and Australia, and reaching the top ten across Europe, Canada and the United States. The single sold over 1.2 million copies in the United Kingdom and was certified double platinum by the British Phonographic Industry. The same year the group released their debut album All Saints, it reached number two in the United Kingdom and was certified platinum five times for sales of 1.5 million. The group gained a further two number one singles the following year: "Under the Bridge / Lady Marmalade" and "Bootie Call". In 2000 the group released new single "Pure Shores", which was used in the film The Beach and reached number one in the UK. The single was certified platinum for sales over 600,000 copies. The single was followed by their fifth number one single "Black Coffee", their second album Saints & Sinners was released shortly after and topped the chart in the United Kingdom. The album was eventually certified double platinum by the BPI for sales over 600,000.

In early 2001, following the release of their single "All Hooked Up", the group split and reasons for this were later explained by Shaznay Lewis, who revealed details of tensions between the group. In 2000, Blatt appeared in the film Honest directed by Dave Stewart opposite Nicole and Natalie Appleton and in 2001 she played a small role in the independent British film Dog Eat Dog. 2002-06: Solo musical releases Blatt's solo releases were of variable success; her most prominent being "TwentyFourSeven", a collaboration with the Artful Dodger, peaking at No 6 in September 2001. Melanie began recording on her debut solo album in 2002, working with numerous producers including Sony Music production team Xenomania. In late 2003 she released her debut single "Do Me Wrong", it reached number 18 in the UK and led to Blatt being dropped by her label due to its low charting.

The album she was working on was scrapped, therefore the release of her upcoming single "Blue" was cancelled, but later included on British singer Amelia Lily's debut album Be a Fighter, on which she worked with Xenomania. In 2005 Blatt made a return to music with new single "See Me", which was used in the Robots movie. She began working on a new album with independent label Sowlen Ankle Ltd written with, and recorded by, Matt Hales from Aqualung. During 2005, Blatt played small venues in the UK which featured songs from the album she was working on at the time and included unreleased songs like "In Your Arms," "I Don't Mind," "Now You're Gone," "No Lullaby" and "Love Sweet Love." Blatt's solo record was shelved in favour of the All Saints reunion. 2006-07: All Saints reunion On 24 January 2006, it was announced that the band had reformed and signed a record deal with Parlophone. They subsequently began work on their third studio album, Studio 1.

The first single, "Rock Steady" (released in November 2006), reached number three on the UK Singles Chart. Studio 1 entered the albums chart at number forty and sold 60,000 copies according to the BPI, being certified silver. A second single, "Chick Fit" failed to reach the top 200. Blatt discussed the reunion's failure in an interview with i-D magazine in 2012: "I don't think it was done for the right reasons... I know that I did it for the money. We got signed before we had even made music again, it wasn't like we felt we had something to give back to the world... we were given an opportunity and took it, without really thinking about it too hard". She also said she never felt comfortable with the success the band had and that "it was not necessarily the plan at the beginning; there was a lot of compromise involved". 2007-present: Television Since 2007 Batt presents the TV show The Hot Desk on ITV2 with co-hosts Nicole Appleton, Dave Berry, Emma Willis and Jayne Sharp.

Between 2009 and 2010 she was reporter of Angela Griffin's show Angela and Friends. In January 2013 it was announced Melanie Blatt would join Daniel Bedingfield , Stan Walker and Ruby Frost as a judge/mentor on the New Zealand version of The X Factor: "I can't wait to see what kind of artists and voices we are going to find in New Zealand." Blatt will be mentoring the Groups category. It was reported that she and her daughter Lilyella will live in the country for the duration of the series. In February 2013, Blatt revealed she is "making music" and when asked about a solo comeback she said she is going to do something she never thought in a million years she would do. On September 11, 2014 MediaWorks announced both Blatt and Stan Walker would return to judge the second season of the X Factor NZ alongside returning host Dominic Bowden. Blatt and Walker would be joined by new husband-wife duo Willy Moon and Natalia Kills until their sacking, and replaced by Natalie Bassingthwaite and Shelton Woolwright.

Blatt mentored the Over 25's and placed 5th with her contestant Steve Broad. Personal life Blatt gave birth to daughter Lilyella on 22 November 1998, the father of whom is Stuart Zender , one-time bassist with Jamiroquai. They broke up in early 2006. Filmography All Saints: 'TOTP Wanted Us To Take Tops Off' Weather All Saints: 'TOTP Wanted Us To Take Tops Off' The group claims the show's producers wanted to film them from the shoulders up to create the illusion they were performing naked. 18:54, UK, Wednesday 13 April 2016 Image Caption: The group have recently launched their fourth studio album Mail Recently reformed all-female band All Saints have claimed they were pressured by producers to go topless on a pre-recorded episode of Top Of The Pops. The English-Canadian foursome, who first found fame in the late 1990s, recalled how they faced sexism during their earlier career. They said the music show's makers wanted to film them from the shoulders up to create the illusion they were performing naked.

In an interview with the BBC, band member Shaznay Lewis said: "They were filming images of us to use as a backdrop and they wanted us to take our tops off." But fellow singer Natalie Appleton said the group "did not want that vision". And she claimed a woman who was working with them was "in tears because she was trying to fight our corner". Image Caption: The band pictured in 1998 Another group member Melanie Blatt added: "Because it was such a huge show, we were told 'if you don't do it, you don't get to go on the show'." Appleton said in the end there was a "compromise" between them and the producers where they dropped their tops to their armpits so it would look like they were topless. Her sister Nicole said: "We did it but we were stroppy about it.

Again, we got labelled as being difficult." A BBC spokesman said: "We're not able to comment on something that is alleged to have happened nearly 20 years ago, but today we seek to ensure that everyone working at the BBC does so in an environment in which they are comfortable." The group formed in 1993 and their debut self-titled album hit number two in the UK charts. Their second album Saints And Sinners reached the top spot but they split up a year later. They briefly reformed in 2006 but broke up again soon after, with their third album only making number 40. All Saints released their fourth studio album earlier this month. Top Stories stumbleupon Email Comment Do you know your “Zig-a-Zig-ah” from your Bootylicious? Do you fondly recall the days when low slung khaki cargo pants were the must-have for teenage women everywhere?From TLC to The Spice Girls, the 1990s were a heady time for all-girl bands that not only pushed boundaries and crossed genres.

And although there was plenty of bubblegum and fun, some artists – like The Dixie Chicks – were part of serious feminist movements or political statements that would come to dominate aspects of their careers. Most of those super attractive and (sometimes) talented groups saw a quick rise to fame in the heyday of the girl group, and disappeared into obscurity just as fast. So what became of them? Where are they now, and what are they doing? Read on to rediscover your youth and find out what became of those once-familiar bright young things. 14. All Saints British Band All Saints – comprising Shaznay Lewis, Melanie Blatt, and sisters Nicole and Natalie Appleton – rose to international fame with their single Pure Shores, which was featured on the soundtrack of cult hit film The Beach. The band followed a steady course of international success, but not without their own personal tragedies and set backs. One of the band’s original members, Simone Rainford, passed away from kidney cancer in 2013. Since the band broke up (and got back together… and broke up again) Melanie Blatt recorded a solo album in 2005 and is currently a host on X Factor New Zealand.

Sisters Natalie and Nicole Appleton dated and married Oasis brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher, though Nicole later dropped Liam for fathering a child outside of the relationship. The Appleton sisters still appear in a heady mix of reality TV and talent shows. Shaznay Lewis also joined a recent reunion of the band, and had a brief part in the hit film Bend it like Beckham. She maintained her musical roots with arguably the greatest success, as a songwriter for various other high-profile bands. This year, All Saints have stated that they’re working on new material to release in 2015. 13. The Sugababes This girl band flipped and changed their members with a notorious frequency, right up until their official breakup. The original line up included: Mutya, Keisha and Siobhan, then it was Heidi, Amelle and Keisha. The band called it quits finally in 2013, but not before the original line up had achieved international success individually. Siobhan had a reputable solo career, Amelle is said to be releasing a debut solo album in 2015. Former member Jade Ewen appeared on Saturday Night Live to positive reception and is also said to be working on solo material.

Heidi has been the most active, cashing in on a host of reality TV shows such as Dancing on Ice and Celebrity Masterchef. Heidi has also moved on to a career in musical theater, appearing at a lead in Happy Days. 12. Spice Girls The infamous Ginger, Scary, Posh and Sporty spices ( Geri Halliwell , Melanie Chisholm , Melanie Brown , Emma Bunton and Victoria Beckham ) were formed originally way back when in 1994, and had a cult following across the world. Their demise arguable began with Ginger Spice’s departure to launch a solo career, although the Girls still remained intact long enough to release one last album entitled Forever in 2000 (before their official split that same year). All members attempted solo careers to various degrees of success and reunited in 2012 to perform at the closing ceremony of The Olympics. Victoria Beckham achieved the most significant success, turning herself from a pop starlet, to footballer’s wife, to hugely successful fashion designer. Melanie Brown hit headlines in the mid-2000s when she had a child with Eddie Murphy , who denied the child until DNA tests proved his paternity.

Brown had her own reality TV show called Mel B: It’s a Scary World and has gone on to work as a radio DJ in Sydney, on Australian show: Breakfast. Melanie Chisholm had a somewhat successful career releasing the well known hit When You’re Gone with aging pop star Brian Adams in 2007. She has appeared in musical theatre on the West End, is known for her commitment to charity work and has traveled to Africa to support charities that provide clean drinking water to the world’s poorest. Emma Bunton is now a radio host in the UK and has appeared on TV reality show Strictly Come Dancing. Geri Halliwell was a judge on Australia’s Got Talent, where she also debuted a new single (after a ten year hiatus), to negative reviews. It has been said she has now quit music. 11. Destiny’s Child Originally Girls Tyme, Desinty’s Child were originally formed in 1990, managed by Beyonce ’s father. The last line up before their split was Kelly Roland, Beyonce Knowles, and Michele Williams. The group enjoyed international success with hit singles such as Survivor and Bootylicious.

The group’s official split date was 2006, though the girls performed together again in 2013 at The Super Bowl Half Time. The most successful star to break out of the 90s girl group world, Beyonce has gone on to achieve untold success since the group dissipated, with a musical empire, a superstar husband, sell out tours and a new feminist icon status to boot. Rowland has also met with considerable success in her solo career, and she has recently begun recording her fifth solo album. Michelle Williams also continues to create and record music, and her new single Say Yes features both Kelly Rowland and Beyonce. Despite rumors of jealousy and domineering personalities in the Knowles family, the trio remain friends. 10. TLC Who can forget Waterfalls, the iconic TLC single that was a mega hit across the globe in the late 1990s? This R&B act had a string of other hits including No Scrubs and Creep but the band faced a number of personal challenges during their time in the limelight, from bankruptcy to the death of Lisa “Left eye” Lopes in 2002.

“Chilli” and “T-Boz” are still active, and performed at the Super Bowl Blitz just this year, reportedly using Lopes’ vocals. The two are currently working on a new album. As regards the particulars of the members: Rhonda “Chilli” Thomas was featured on Rachel vs Guy: Celebrity Cook Off. Rhonda is also a successful purse designer with her own line across stores in the USA. Tione “T-Boz” Watkins unfortunately suffered serious health problems, with sickle cell anemia in 2002 and a brain tumor in 2009. This did not stop her however from being executive producer on the TLC Biopic Crazy Sexy Cool: The TLC Story which aired in October this year, and from working on a new TLC album that is said to be recorded this year and early next year. 9. Alisha’s Attic This sister duo (Shelly and Karen Poole), chose their imaginary childhood friend Alisha as the name of their band. They rose to fame in the UK in the 1990s and 2000s to great critical and commercial acclaim.

Their debut album, Alisha Rules The World, led to a 1997 Brit award nomination and they were nominated for an Ivor Novello award that same year. Their single I Am, I Feel was a top 20 hit in the UK. They made the critically acclaimed album The House We Built with producer Bill Botrell, from which two singles, Pretender Got My Heart and Push It All Aside were featured in award winning videos by Sophie Muller. They had several other success before their split in 2003. Both artists stayed with their publishers and became successful song writers for other artists, which they continue to maintain today. Shelly has written for the likes of Kylie Minogue, Will Young, Janet Jackson , Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Liberty X and The Sugababes. She is also reportedly about to release a second solo album. 8. Atomic Kitten Ten years after their split, the original line up of Atomic Kitten reunited on the UK TV show The Big Reunion this year, with Kerry Katona, Natasha Hamilton and Liz McClarnon confirming details of the bands early years.

The band’s debut album Right Now originally peaked at a disappointing 29 in the UK charts and after only 4 top ten singles Kerry Katona quit the band. She was soon replaced by Jenny Frost, and their next single Whole Again became their best selling single of 2000. Their album was re-released in the UK and went platinum, selling over 600,000 in the UK. Two additional albums were released by the group, Feels so Good (which also went platinum in the UK) and Ladies Night. After Hamilton fell pregnant and refused to tour with the band, they split in 2004 – arguably at the height of their success. After appearing on British TV the band has reunited and plan to release a new album in 2015. The first band member to leave, Kerry Katona, was scorned by press due to several failed romances, alcohol addiction and a penchant for laying her life bear on reality TV. The original band members ventured into TV presenting, reality television and the pantomime circuit after the breakup. 7.

Eternal At the top of this British Girl group’s career they were the first female girl group to sell over one million copies of their album in the UK – but the band also suffered enormous set backs that ultimately led to their downfall and split. The original line up included Louise Redknapp with sisters Easther and Vernie Bennett. Louise was replaced by Kelle Bryan in 1995, and went on to pursue a solo career as a singer and TV presenter Although the band had a number one album Always and Forever the band suffered from racism during their spell in the limelight. In addition, a rift developed between Kelle and the Bennett sisters. By 1998 things had taken a turn for the worse with Kelle recording her vocals for the band in isolation from the others. Eventually she left the group and they continued as a duo until 2000. Kelle Bryan had some success with a single Higher than Heaven in 1999 but her debut solo album was never released. She went on to launch her own Artist Management company. Esther Bennett recorded and released a string of cover songs in the UK charts to some success and has written for various UK bands such as Atomic Kitten.

Her sister Vernie chose to step out of the limelight to finish her studies in law. In 2013 the band reunited for the British TV show The Big Reunion; it was, reportedly, the first time the band as a trio had spoken in 15 years. 6. Cleopatra Cleopatra was a girl group from the UK consisting of sisters Yonnah, Zainam, and Cleopatra Higgins. They featured on a British kids’ TV show and their debut single Comin’ At Ya hit the UK charts at number 3 and the Billboard hot 100 at No 26. The had marginal success with their next three singles, a cover of Jackson Fives I Want You Back and Thank Abba For The Music. Cleopatra supported the Spice Girls on tour and they performed at a Vatican Christmas concert. Changes within Warner music, however, led to a failure to appropriately promote Cleopatra’s single Come And Get Me and their album was pushed back for release. Warner showed interest in signing Cleopatra Higgins as a solo artist which promptly led to the whole band parting ways with the label.

In 2005 the band came together for a one off performance on UK TV show Hit Me Baby, One More Time but by 2013 the band had yet to release any new music. Cleo Higgins tried to reignite her career by competing in The Voice UK, but was voted off the show after the semi finals. 5. B*witched This Irish four piece band included twin sisters Edel and Keavy Lynch, Lindsay Armaou, and Sinead O’Connell. They topped the charts with their albums internationally in the 90s. All their singles made the top 20 in the UK and the band were helped by Edel and Keavy’s famous brother Shane (part of the boy band Boyzone) to sign to Epic Records in 1998. Although having sold over a million records, B*witched were dropped by their record company in 2002. O’Connell also decided to leave the group and the band later split up in 2006. That same year the twins formed a new group, The Lynch Sisters, while Armaou worked on her own solo material before joining the new band Clayton in 2003.

Keavy Lynch formed a production and song writing company called Ziiiing. Sinead O’Connell went on to manage the girl group Minx in the UK until 2004 when she established her own performing arts academy. In 2012 B*witched reunited as a result of the UK TV show The Big Reunion. Due to the success of the show and the demand for new songs, the show took the girls on a UK tour in 2013. Their new single in May 2013 entitled Love is Money was a success and led to the increased support of their fan base, which led to a recent announcement that the group has properly reformed and is set to be releasing new material in 2014/2015. 4. En Vogue This R&B powerhouse (Dawn Robertson, Terri and Cindy Herron and Maxine Jones) was responsible for some pretty major hits in the 1990s. After forming in 1989, they produced My Loving (You Never Gonna Get It), Hold On and Free Your Mind.

Even though the group lasted for almost 23 years, by 2012 Dawn Robertson had left amidst a host of legal concerns and battles by some of the other members. Due to the major legal battle, Robertson was unable to comment on the break up of the group for many years, but later suggested that the legal constraints put on her were too much, leading to potential injustice. Both Maxine and Dawn were sued by the other two members, Terri and Cindy Herron, over the use of the band’s name plus $1 Million in damages in 2012. They claimed that the two were illegally touring under the band’s name although they had broken up, and were making considerable and unshared profits. The judge later sided with Cindy and Terri and Dawn and Maxine were ordered to pay the others their share. Robertson went on to become a front woman for another R&B group, Lucy Pearl and the trio continued to perform under a new name EV3, until their eventual split in 2012. Robertson later returned to the group and they are now said to be recording a new studio album to be released in 2015. 3.

M2M M2M was a pop duo formed by Marion Elise Raven and Marit Elisabeth Larsen. They released three albums with Warner Music Norway and were signed to Atlantic records in 1998. The duos’ first single Don’t Say You Love Me appeared in 1999 and was helped to success by being featured in Pokemon: The Movie. The duo released their first album in 2000 and toured with pop act Hanson that same year. In 2002 the group released a second album with a distinctly different sound, more mature and less pop driven. Singles from the album were played on hit TV show Dawson’s Creek. Whilst on tour with Jewel, M2M were dropped by their record label citing lack of record sales, (though the group had sold well in Asian countries, Australia and Norway). Shortly after the group parted ways, Marion Raven was immediately signed as a solo act whilst Marit went to finish high school. Marion released three songs in 2005 and toured Latin America and Europe. In 2006 Marit performed live on NRK and her debut album went platinum in Norway. Both singers still perform and record under their own names. 2.

Babes in Toyland This band (Kat Bjelland, Lori Barbero and Maureen Herman) was formed in 1987 by Kat Bjelland and rose to serious critical acclaim in the 90s before splitting in 2001. At their height, the band released three albums, before becoming inactive in 1997. The band lost their contract with their record company in 1996 and by 1997 were constantly breaking up and reforming. Bjelland later formed a new band Katastrophy Wife and almost straight afterwards released one record, All Kneel, before taking a break from the music industry all together. In 2001 the band performed a reunion show, cited at the last official show ever. Bjelland then laid low for ten years, rarely performing live and raising a family. However, she did continue to write songs and it’s likely that she will release an EP next year. Kat Bjelland and Maureen Herman also confirmed this summer that that they were getting back together to write new material and play shows. 1.

The Dixie Chicks The Dixie Chicks was formed in Dallas Texas in 1989 by Martie Erwin Maguire and Emily Erwin Robison, and lead singer Natalie Maines. Originally intending to be an entirely bluegrass band they in fact achieved a great crossover in style, from pop to dance and beyond. The band is still going strong and releasing new material. In 2008 the band went on hiatus for a couple of years to spend time with their young families, but they soon reformed. As of 2014, the band has won 13 Grammy Awards, and sold 30.5 million albums worldwide. Dixie Chicks have caused controversy for their political standpoints in not supporting the USA war in Iraq. Whilst performing on tour, Maines made a statement that she ‘did not support this war’ which led to numerous boycotts against the band by conservative leaders in the USA, as well as to various threats against Maines. Whilst her statements increased support for the band elsewhere across the world (noticeably in the UK). The band refused to recant, releasing new music to back their previous political standpoints.

ShareOn Facebook Destroyed by fame | Daily Mail Online Destroyed by fame by NADIA COHEN, Daily Mail They were famed as much for their catty in-fighting as for their string of chart-topping hits. But it was not the bitchiness which finally drove All Saints apart, according to Melanie Blatt, who made up a quarter of the all-girl band. Instead, she blamed their break-up on fame and fortune. Speaking on Radio One yesterday, the singer revealed that the band's problems started when the girls hit the big time. She said she knew the foursome - whose hits include Never Ever and Pure Shores - were finished when they became successful. 'That was the main thing with us, we were great friends. We were good in a band together, we were not good at the business side,' she added. Miss Blatt, 26, has previously admitted to blowing a lottery-sized fortune within months of the band going their separate ways in January of this year. By May, she said her £4 million share of the group's earnings had been spent. She also complained that most of the money the band made was swallowed up by the record company.

She said her poor financial situation had forced her to reluctantly launch a solo career in order to provide for her two-year-old daughter, Lilyella. Her first single, 24/7, was released this week. She is also planning to record with her daughter's father - her boyfriend of four years, former Jamiroquai bass player Stuart Zender. She recently complained: 'I would have loved to have retired when the band split. I would have loved to have spent all day cooking, washing-up, gardening and taking kids to school and all that, but it's not going to happen. 'I'm going to have to work for the money to provide for myself and my baby. I have to do some more recording - believe me, I need the money.' Miss Blatt owns a home in Hampstead, north-west London, and bought her parents David and Helen a retirement villa in the south of France. During their five-year career, All Saints sold 11 million albums worldwide and signed lucrative sponsorship deals, including one with Levi jeans. In 1999, it was reported that the girls earned £680,000 from record sales and a further £270,000 from product endorsements.

Miss Blatt's hopes of breaking into films ended disastrously after the movie Honest, in which she appeared with fellow band members Nicole and Natalie Appleton, was panned by critics and bombed in cinemas. It was songwriter Shaznay Lewis who was the group's main earner. She has made an estimated £10.5mil-lion fortune from royalties. Miss Lewis, 25, and Miss Blatt met at stage school and teamed up with the Appleton sisters later. Sources close to the band said they quickly grew 'sick and tired' of the party-loving antics of the sisters. Nicole, 26, has just had a baby with Liam Gallagher and Natalie, 27, dates the Prodigy's Liam Howlett. The girls were said to have split into opposing camps whenever they came under pressure. The four have come to blows at least twice, once pulling each other's hair and resorting to slaps and insults during a recording session. In 1998, minutes before a television appearance, Nicole hit Shaznay over the head with a microphone. Last November, Miss Blatt pulled out of a planned tour of Japan and Australia.

The Appletons were furious and did not speak to her for five weeks. They claim she has found it hard to cope with the twin demands of being a mother and a pop star. Miss Blatt said yesterday that she missed Miss Lewis most of all. 'She's been at my side for the last seven years of my life so suddenly she's not there and it's scary,' she said. Melanie Blatt - Alchetron, The Free Social Encyclopedia I Love to read n write about Interesting People Melanie Blatt Born March 25, 1975 (age 40) (1975-03-25) Camden, London, England Occupation Television presenter singer-songwriter actress Similar People Nicole Appleton, Natalie Appleton, Shaznay Lewis, Stuart Zender, Stan Walker Profiles do me wrong popworld melanie blatt Sponsored Links Melanie Blatt (born March 25, 1975) is an English singer-songwriter, television presenter and actress. She is also the daughter of author and travel expert David Blatt. She rose to fame in 1997 as a member of the BRIT Award-winning girl group All Saints.

The group have gained five number one singles, two multi-platinum albums, two BRIT Awards and have sold over 10 million records worldwide making them one of the best-selling girl groups of all time, and the second best-selling girl group in the UK. Melanie Blatt began recording a solo album in 2003, working with numerous producers including Xenomania and released her debut solo single "Do Me Wrong" in 2003. Blatt was later dropped by her record label, and her solo album was cancelled. In 2005, she made a return to music with her single "See Me", and began recording another album independently which was later shelved and cancelled in favour of the All Saints reunion. Starting in 2013, she was a judge on the television series The X Factor NZ. Early life Blatt was born at University College Hospital in the London Borough of Camden and is named after Melanie Safka. She has a French-Jewish mother and an English father, David Blatt (known also as Murmmy author of the book Manchester United Ruined My Wife) of Jewish descent whose ancestors were from Poland and Russia and a younger sister named Jasmine.

She was brought up in both the UK and France. In 1986, Blatt was diagnosed as having scoliosis. Since her parents were not satisfied with the treatment for the condition in the United Kingdom they decided to move to France, where a specialist inserted three metal rods in her back. Blatt went to Fitzjohn's Primary School where her musical talent was immediately noticed by the music teacher David Joyner, who encouraged her parents to send her to a stage school. In 1986, she attended the Sylvia Young Theatre School where she met Nicole Appleton. The two girls became best friends. During this period, Blatt also played young Eponine in Les Miserables for six months, and was the understudy for Cosette together with fellow Sylvia Young student Denise van Outen. 1993–2001: Career with All Saints In 1993, Blatt sang under the name Melanie Guillaume in the band Drive with Julienne Davis. They released one single, "Curfew", together. She also did backing vocals for Dreadzone with Denise van Outen.

Later that year, Blatt met Shaznay Lewis at the Metamorphosis recording studio in All Saints Road, London. Together, with Simone Rainford, they formed the group All Saints 1.9.7.5 which was later renamed to All Saints when Rainford left and Nicole and Natalie Appleton joined Blatt and Lewis. In 1997 All Saints released their debut single "I Know Where It's At", and peaked at number 4 in the UK. The same year the group released a second single "Never Ever, which introduced the group to international success after topping the charts in the UK and Australia, and reaching the top ten across Europe, Canada and the United States. The single sold over 1.2 million copies in the United Kingdom and was certified double platinum by the British Phonographic Industry. The same year the group released their debut album All Saints, it reached number two in the United Kingdom and was certified platinum five times for sales of 1.5 million. The group gained a further two number one singles the following year: "Under the Bridge / Lady Marmalade" and "Bootie Call".

In 2000 the group released new single "Pure Shores", which was used in the film The Beach and reached number one in the UK. The single was certified platinum for sales over 600,000 copies. The single was followed by their fifth number one single "Black Coffee", their second album Saints & Sinners was released shortly after and topped the chart in the United Kingdom. The album was eventually certified double platinum by the BPI for sales over 600,000. In early 2001, following the release of their single "All Hooked Up", the group split and reasons for this were later explained by Shaznay Lewis, who revealed details of tensions between the group. In 2000, Blatt appeared in the critically panned film Honest directed by Dave Stewart opposite Nicole and Natalie Appleton and in 2001 she played a small role in the independent British film Dog Eat Dog. 2002–06: Solo musical releases Blatt's solo releases were of variable success; her most prominent being "TwentyFourSeven", a collaboration with the Artful Dodger, peaking at No 6 in September 2001.

Melanie began recording on her debut solo album in 2002, working with numerous producers including Sony Music production team Xenomania. In late 2003 she released her debut single "Do Me Wrong", it reached number 18 in the UK and led to Blatt being dropped by her label due to its low charting. The album she was working on was scrapped, therefore the release of her upcoming single "Blue" was cancelled, but later included on British singer Amelia Lily's debut album Be a Fighter, on which she worked with Xenomania. In 2005 Blatt made a return to music with new single "See Me", which was used in the Robots movie. She began working on a new album with independent label Sowlen Ankle Ltd written with, and recorded by, Matt Hales from Aqualung. During 2005, Blatt played small venues in the UK which featured songs from the album she was working on at the time and included unreleased songs like "In Your Arms," "I Don't Mind," "Now You're Gone," "No Lullaby" and "Love Sweet Love." Blatt's solo record was shelved in favour of the All Saints reunion.

2006–07: All Saints reunion On 24 January 2006, it was announced that the band had reformed and signed a record deal with Parlophone. They subsequently began work on their third studio album, Studio 1. The first single, "Rock Steady" (released in November 2006), reached number three on the UK Singles Chart. Studio 1 entered the albums chart at number forty and sold 60,000 copies according to the BPI, being certified silver. A second single, "Chick Fit" failed to reach the top 200. Blatt discussed the reunion's failure in an interview with i-D magazine in 2012: "I don't think it was done for the right reasons... I know that I did it for the money. We got signed before we had even made music again, it wasn't like we felt we had something to give back to the world... we were given an opportunity and took it, without really thinking about it too hard". She also said she never felt comfortable with the success the band had and that "it was not necessarily the plan at the beginning; there was a lot of compromise involved".

2007–present: Television Since 2007 Batt presents the TV show The Hot Desk on ITV2 with co-hosts Nicole Appleton, Dave Berry, Emma Willis and Jayne Sharp. Between 2009 and 2010 she was reporter of Angela Griffin's show Angela and Friends. In January 2013 it was announced Melanie Blatt would join Daniel Bedingfield, Stan Walker and Ruby Frost as a judge/mentor on the New Zealand version of The X Factor: "I can't wait to see what kind of artists and voices we are going to find in New Zealand." Blatt will be mentoring the Groups category. It was reported that she and her daughter Lilyella will live in the country for the duration of the series. In February 2013, Blatt revealed she is "making music" and when asked about a solo comeback she said she is going to do something she never thought in a million years she would do. Sponsored Links On September 11th 2014 MediaWorks announced both Blatt and Stan Walker would return to judge the second season of the X Factor NZ alongside returning host Dominic Bowden.

Blatt and Walker would be joined by new husband-wife duo Willy Moon and Natalia Kills until their sacking, and replaced by Natalie Bassingthwaite and Shelton Woolwright. Blatt mentored the Over 25's and placed 5th with her contestant Steve Broad. Personal life Blatt gave birth to daughter Lilyella on 22 November 1998, the father of whom is Stuart Zender, one-time bassist with Jamiroquai. They broke up in early 2006. Songs

Question: With which group did Melanie Blatt achieve fame?
Answer: ALL SAINTS